Dahlia plant named ‘Melody Bolero’

ABSTRACT

A distinct cultivar of Dahlia plant named ‘Melody Bolero’, characterized by its upright, somewhat outwardly spreading and uniform plant habit; freely branching habit; dark green foliage; freely flowering habit; decorative inflorescence form with inflorescences positioned above the foliage; red-colored ray florets; and excellent garden performance.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Dahliaplant, botanically known as Dahlia hybrida and hereinafter referred toby the name ‘Melody Bolero’.

The new Dahlia is a product of a planned breeding program conducted bythe Inventor in Lisse, The Netherlands. The objective of the breedingprogram is to create new Dahlia cultivars with uniform growth habit,decorative inflorescence form, attractive ray floret colors, and goodinflorescence longevity.

The new Dahlia originated from a cross pollination made by the Inventorin 1997 of the Dahlia hybrida cultivar Gallery Singer, not patented, asthe female, or seed, parent with an unidentified selection of Dahliahybrida, not patented, as the male, or pollen, parent. The new Dahliawas discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plantwithin the progeny of the stated cross grown in a controlled environmentin Lisse, The Netherlands, in 1997. The selection of this plant wasbased on its uniform plant habit and attractive ray floret coloration.

Asexual reproduction of the new Dahlia by cuttings was first conductedin Lisse, The Netherlands. Asexual reproduction by cuttings has shownthat the unique features of this new Dahlia are stable and reproducedtrue to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The cultivar Melody Bolero has not been observed under all possibleenvironmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat withvariations in environment such as temperature, daylength, lightintensity, water and nutritional status without, however, any variancein genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined tobe the unique characteristics of ‘Melody Bolero’. These characteristicsin combination distinguish ‘Melody Bolero’ as a new and distinct Dahlia:

1. Upright, somewhat outwardly spreading and uniform plant habit.

2. Freely branching habit, full and dense plants.

3. Dark green foliage.

4. Freely flowering habit.

5. Decorative inflorescence form with inflorescences positioned abovethe foliage.

6. Red-colored ray florets.

7. Excellent garden performance.

Compared to plants of the female parent, the cultivar Gallery Singer,plants of the new Dahlia are taller, have larger inflorescences anddiffer in ray floret coloration. Plants of the new Dahlia differprimarily from plants of the male parent selection in ray floretcoloration.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying colored photographs illustrate the overall appearanceof the new Dahlia showing the colors as true as it is reasonablypossible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in thephotographs may differ from the color values cited in the detailedbotanical description which accurately describe the colors of the newDahlia.

The photograph on the first sheet comprises a side perspective view oftypical flowering plants of ‘Melody Bolero’ that were about four monthsold.

The photograph on the second sheet comprises a close-up view of typicalinflorescences of ‘Melody Bolero’.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

In the following description, color references are made to The RoyalHorticultural Society Colour Chart except where general items ofordinary dictionary significance are used. The afore-mentionedphotographs and the following observations and measurements describeplants grown and flowered during the summer and early autumn in Lisse,The Netherlands, in an outdoor nursery and under conditions whichapproximate those generally used in commercial production. During theproduction of the plants, day temperatures ranged between 15 and 23° C.and night temperatures ranged between 10 and 15° C. Measurements andnumerical values represent averages of typical flowering plants thatwere about four months old.

Botanical classification: Dahlia hybrida cultivar Melody Bolero.

Parentage:

Female, or seed, parent.—Dahlia hybrida cultivar Gallery Singer, notpatented.

Male, or pollen, parent.—Unidentified selection of Dahlia hybrida, notpatented.

Propagation:

Type.—By vegetative cuttings.

Time to initiate roots.—About 3 to 6 days at 16° C.

Time to develop roots.—About 14 days at 16° C.

Root description.—Fine, fibrous and well-branched.

Plant description:

Appearance.—Herbaceous flowering container or garden plant. Invertedtriangle; stems mostly upright and somewhat outwardly spreading giving arounded appearance to the plant. Freely branching, about 8 lateralbranches develop after removal of terminal apex (pinching); dense andfull plants.

Crop time.—About 65 days from planting are required to produce floweringfinished plants.

Plant height.—About 57.5 cm.

Plant width.—About 35 cm.

Lateral branches (peduncles).—Angle: Mostly erect. Strength: Strong.Length: About 20 cm. Diameter: At base: About 1.5 cm. At mid-section:About 7 mm. At apex, just below the inflorescence: About 3 mm. Texture:Smooth, glabrous. Color: Towards base, 144A, towards apex, close to183C.

Foliage description.—Arrangement: Leaves opposite; leaves may be singleor compound with three or five leaflets. Typically about 8 pairs ofleaves per lateral stem. Shape: Ovate. Apex: Acuminate. Base: Attenuate.Margin: Serrate. Length: Single leaves: About 25 cm. Compound leaflets:About 8.5 cm. Width: Single leaves: About 6 cm. Compound leaflets: About6 cm. Venation pattern: Pinnate. Texture: Smooth, glabrous; leathery.Color: Young and mature foliage, upper surface: Close to 147A. Young andmature foliage, lower surface: Close to 191A. Venation, upper surface:Close to 146C. Venation, lower surface: Close to 191A. Petiole length:About 1.5 cm. Petiole color, both surfaces: 146B.

Inflorescence description:

Appearance.—Terminal inflorescences held above the foliage on strongpeduncles. Decorative inflorescence form with elongated ovate-shaped rayflorets; ray florets arranged acropetally on a capitulum. Inflorescencesnot fragrant. Inflorescences persistent.

Flowering response.—Flowering recurrent to continuous during the summerand autumn in The Netherlands.

Posproduction longevity.—On the plant, inflorescences maintain goodcolor and substance for about 10 to 14 days in an outdoor environment;and as cut flowers, inflorescences maintain good color and substance forabout 5 to 6 days in an indoor environment.

Quantity of inflorescences.—One per lateral shoot, about 45inflorescences plant develop during the growing season, summer throughautumn.

Inflorescence bud, at stage of showing color.—Shape: Globular to oblate.Length: About 8 mm. Diameter: About 1.5 cm. Color: Close to 151A.

Inflorescences.—Shape, in profile: Hemispherical to spherical. Diameter:About 9 cm. Depth (height): About 7 cm.

Ray florets.—Shape: Elongated ovate. Apex: Acute. Base: Attenuate; shortcorolla tube. Margin: Entire. Length: About 3.5 cm. Width: About 2 cm.Texture: Smooth, glabrous; satiny. Number of ray florets perinflorescence: More than 200. Color: When opening, upper and lowersurfaces: Close to 44A; color fading to close to 31A after senescence.Fully opened, upper and lower surfaces: Close to 42A.

Disc florets.—Number of disc florets per inflorescence: About 31. Shape:Tubular, elongated. Apex: Five-pointed.

Phyllaries.—Quantity: One whorl of about 7 or 8 phyllaries. Shape:Ovate. Apex: Acute. Base: Attenuate. Margin: Entire. Length: About 1.6cm. Width: About 1.1 cm. Texture: Smooth. Color: Upper surface: Close to146B. Lower surface: Close to 146A.

Reproductive organs.—Androecium: Present on disc florets only. Stamenquantity: about 5 per floret. Anther length: About 5 mm. Anther color:Close to 15A. Pollen amount: Scarce. Pollen color: 21A. Gynoecium:Present on ray and disc florets. Pistil quantity: One per floret. Stigmacolor: Close to 12A. Style length: About 8 mm. Style color: Close to151C.

Seeds.—Seed development has not been observed to date.

Disease/pest resistance: Resistance to pathogens and pests common toDahlias has not been observed on plants grown under commercialgreenhouse or outdoor conditions.

Temperature tolerance: Plants of the new Dahlia have been observed to betolerant temperatures from 0 to 40° C.

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of Dahlia plant named‘Melody Bolero’, as illustrated and described.